The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) has announced its 2025 program, with Gamilaroi/Bigambul artist Archie Moore's award-winning 'kith and kin' among the key exhibitions.
The work, which won the Golden Lion for Australia at the 2024 Venice Biennale, will be presented at QAGOMA from 27 September.
Mr Moore's 'kith and kin' is a vast genealogical chart tracing First Nations Australian connections over 65,000 years, alongside his own British ancestry.
The installation, hand-drawn in white chalk, resembles a cosmic map of interconnected lives, histories, and relationships.
At its centre, a reflective pool memorialises First Nations people who have died in police custody.
Reflecting on the work's acquisition by the Australian government and its donation to both QAGOMA and Tate in the UK, Moore said he was "grateful for this generous donation that enables 'kith and kin' to be seen both here in Australia and overseas, in the near and distant future".
The work explores Mr Moore's Aboriginal and British heritage, drawing from historical records, letters, and personal family histories.
His research uncovered official correspondence concerning the "protection" of Aboriginal people, surveillance over marriages, and historical documents linking his father's Scottish/British lineage to early convict transportation to Australia.
He also discovered photographs of his great-great-grandmother, who was given a breastplate by white pastoralists identifying her as "Queen Susan of Welltown".
Mr Moore explained the significance of the title 'kith and kin', noting that in old English, "kith" meant both "countrymen" and "one's own land," while "kin" referred to family.
"Just thinking of Indigenous ways of thinking about the land, the land was part of the kinship system; it could also be a teacher or a mentor or a parent to a child," he said.
"Every living thing on the land was your kin."
QAGOMA Director Chris Saines said the gallery was proud to present Mr Moore's work after its success in Venice.
"This remarkable and deeply affecting installation confronts the ongoing legacies of Australia's colonial history, with a focus on the over-incarceration of First Nations peoples and the severing of familial ties.
"It evokes the vastness of First Nations Australian history while speaking to the connectedness of the human family."
Alongside 'kith and kin', QAGOMA's 2025 program includes major exhibitions such as 'Wonderstruck', featuring works by Yayoi Kusama and Nick Cave, 'marru | the unseen visible' by Danie Mellor, 'Great and Small', which explores the role of animals in Indigenous culture, and a solo exhibition by Olafur Eliasson.
The program will also continue the Asia Pacific Triennial and feature 'Snap Blak', an exhibition of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander photography.
Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek said the program highlights the strength of Queensland artists while showcasing major international works.
"From the internationally significant Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art to the much-anticipated Australian debut of 'kith and kin', QAGOMA has curated a vibrant program to captivate visitors of all ages and interests," he said.
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell added that the program reinforces Queensland's status as a cultural hub.
"From contemporary photography and painting to interactive exhibits and cinematic projects, there's something for everyone across the year, including the kids."
QAGOMA's 2025 program will also feature curated film screenings, children's programs, and touring exhibitions, with further details available on the gallery's website.
